It was just supposed to be a “friends with benefits” type of fling. Feelings were never supposed to get in the way. Drew Daley never thought Courtney Page would be the one to change all that. He watched her walk away to pursue her own dreams while Drew’s Marine Corps orders sent him packing for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Something told him to never let her go; to fight for her and his country. Can a decision from years ago make all the difference in one’s future? Time has passed. People have changed. Lives have gone in different directions. Drew returns broken and torn after nearly eighteen months overseas and everything isn’t what it was when he left. Life after deployment isn’t nearly as easy to fit into as he thought. Until new friends and familiar faces enter his life and everything changes. When his mind is trying to piece together all the puzzles surrounding his life, Cole Porter might just be the one to heal his broken heart and guide him in the right direction. However something about Cole is vaguely familiar to Drew. Despite what his head tells him he begins to get closer to her. Will Drew finally be able to let his heart heal and move on? Sometimes you have to face your dreams and fears all at once in order to recover. Otherwise you may never heal the broken pieces inside of you.

Lucy We were high school prom king and queen. He moved on. I moved East. Seven years ago, I left Breckenridge, Colorado, hoping to never return. All it took was one horrific night not too long ago to change all that. Now, I’m back, and there is one person I hope I don’t run into. His name is Jake Galloway. My prom date. My old boyfriend. My first true love. Now, I’m back home to recover from a recent attack that nearly took my life as well as my best friend’s. I’m more afraid of what will happen to me should my path cross with Jake’s again. I know that will hurt me more than anything I’ve recently gone through. He’ll own my heart and my body all over again. Will Lucy be able to choose where her heart truly belongs after coming back to the town she grew up in? Jake She took off running when I confessed I love her, but couldn’t give her the committed relationship she wanted. I needed to live my college years and party it up with lots of girls and booze. Sex with Lucy Wyatt was an experience in of itself. I thought I was doing right by moving on from her. I thought there was more out there than just Lucy. Even if we burned for each other like a raging wildfire. Now, Lucy’s back, and I want her more than ever. The minute my eyes trailed on her walking down the street my desire for her burned more than ever. It’s as though seven years apart never happened. It’s just this time I’m not sure I can have her anymore. Can flames from years past be rekindled, or have they been extinguished for good? This is a short story and is included in the Barrier Series. However, it can be read as a standalone. For Mature audiences only for strong language and sexual situations